I picked this one up because I liked the cover. Ha ha. Loved this book, the characters actually act real. They are a bit frustrating at times, but just as if they were your friends and you wanted to strangle them sometimes. Get it, you won't be disappointed.

First and foremost, I am a big fan of vampire lit and used to read a lot of books from the young adult genre/section. That being said, do not read this book unless you enjoy subjecting yourself to dull composition, grammatic errors and flat characters with no motives and nothing driving their actions.
Beginning with the actual writing of this book: the sentences are overly simplified. This book is the perfect example of why an author should show and not tell. Meyer "tells" us everything in the book, expecting us to take it as her word. Why should I believe that Bella fell in love with Edward in a few weeks for no apparent reason? And what drove this love to such high levels that both could not live without the other? Besides the reiteration of "I love you" by both Bella and Edward there is no other evidence that these two actually love each other.
Every character in this book is one dimensional. No one changes as a result of anything which occurs in the book. And speaking of things actually occuring in the book, nothing really does. Even the main action of the plot - the climax - where Bella encounters the tracker is skipped over and conveniently dismissed simply by having Bella pass out and wake up in the hospital. What was the point of this book? Who cares that Bella and Edward are infatuated with each other if there is no real conflict?
I don't even want to mention how extremely and uncomfortably cheesy the whole book is (especially the awkward sex conversation the two protagonists have) I understand that this is supposed to capture teen emotion but in all honesty, teens do not "smolder" and "snicker" and "glare" every two seconds (as a few other reviews have mentioned)
The sentence structures are so simple and the word choice is very limited. Its as if Meyer made a list of words including "cold" "dark" "icy" "smolder" "wet" "snicker" and a few others and just inserted these as adjectives wherever she wanted to add some flavor. These redundant words lowered the quality of the book as they presented no connection to the real world and the readers who are living in it.
All in all I was highly disappointed with this book. The near 500 pages took me two days to get through and I felt as though I wasted my time.
If you want a well-written book in this genre along with vampires and romance, I would recommend reading Sunshine by Robin McKinley

Love it, I love the whole series. I'm going to read them over and over again.

i really enjoyed the book, though sometimes i would just want to throw it down in frustration. That only means it really brings out your emotions, and its more like its really happening and less like its just another book. All in all, its probably the best book i have ever read, and that goes for the whole series.

This book was recommended to me at least 10 times before I decided to read it. I was not a big fan of vampires until this incredible book. This is an easy read that is great for adults as well as young adults. This book has made it to my list of favorites. I have read it twice along with the other books in the series. Excellent read that is highly recommended!!!

I really enjoyed this book. Please keep an open mind & let your imagination rule you along with your emotions.

Twilight is a fantastic book! I read it twice in less than a week. Stephenie Meyer provides such vivid detail that it was like watching a movie, but better. Excellent reading!

i am a 20 something straight guy that enjoys any book with a good story, i have been a harry potter fan for sometime now and one of my friends that also enjoys harry recommended this series for me, i didn't take their advice, but after sometime there were no books that i really wanted to read, so i was at the book store and saw the book my friend was trying to convince me to read, so i relented and purchased the book, and started reading it. To my surprise even it was written through the prospective of a girl i was captivated by this book and it's sequels, these books i couldn't imagine myself reading buy i took a chance on them and was pleasantly surprised, now i am eagerly awaiting the last book in the series, "Breaking Dawn".

this book is absolutely amazing. its a wity romance acompanied perfectly with the thrill of a mysteriouse vampire world. i absolutely loved this story and recomend it to absolutely anyone. hope u enjoy .hhhh

I bought this book after believing all the acclaim surrounding it (ie., best book of the decade, as clever and captivating as the Harry Potter series, etc.). Unfortunately, I learned it's a lot of hype. Not only did I think it was mediocre writing, I was bored and at times annoyed by it. Bottom line, it was a disappointment on different levels.

For about the first third of the book, I tried to read it with an open mind, hoping to identify with/like the protagonist, Bella. However, I ended up finding her to be unlikable and irritating. At first she seems to be mature, intelligent, and determined to be her own person and march to her own beat. Ultimately, she's a martyr, a helpless damsel in distress, a doormat with no goals or motivation other than to be with Edward, because only he can save her and give her any meaning to her life. These qualities, in my opinion, do not make her admirable or even likable.

I didn't relate to the love between Bella & Edward because their connection is superficial. It's solely based physical appearance and scent. Furthermore, their obsession with each other is senseless, destructive and dysfunctional.

Bella is two-faced, selfish, whiny, overly self-critical, and a totally naive pushover. She deceives her friends, her parents, herself, and goes way out of her way to risk her life for this guy because he's just so beautiful. In fact, *SPOILER ALERT* she ends up critically injured, nearly dead and all she can think of doing is apologizing to Edward and begging him to stay with her forever??? That's so pathetic! I really felt sorry for that poor girl and wished she would go for some seriously needed counseling to develop a backbone, a healthy sense of purpose, and stop being so self-sabotaging.

Bella's infatuation is based on Edward's shallow endearing qualities. He's a stunningly handsome immortal with supernatural strength and agility, who drives flashy cars, wears expensive clothes, and is rich. That's about all the depth there is to him. She's so swooned over by his perfection that she's not put off by his patronization, control, manipulation and domination of her. He repeatedly warns her that he's dangerous and could easily kill her. His explanation for his attraction to her is because of the way she smells! He stalks her, bosses her around, and treats her like a little girl. And all of this is OK with her. It smacks of a dysfunctional and abusive relationship. Again, pathetic.

Oh, and I almost forgot. We're supposed to assume that Edward has a higher conscience than the average vampire because instead of humans his victims are exotic and endangered animals? This is evidence that he has moral boundaries? Personally, I'd rather he kill menacing psychopaths over mountain lions.

I seriously hope that the average teenage girl has more scruples than to be won over by this junk. I don't understand why this book is so highly rated and popular. It's about as well-developed as a cheesy harlequin romance.

I had long resisted purchasing Twilight due to my aversion to "vampire stories" (obviously Anne Rice is not among my favorite authors). Its' YA classification was another element that made the prospect of reading this book less than appealing. How very wrong I was!

Stephanie Meyers has given her readers a multi-faceted, multi-layered book that most everyone can relate to. Through her female protagonist, Bella, she draws us back to our teens and the trepidation that filled us as we faced our first days at a new school, the all consuming fear of rejection by other students as we questioned our ability to make new friends, and the angst we felt as we experienced the confusing, bitter-sweet pangs of first love.

Set in the gloomy Pacific Northwest town of Forks, Washington the tale has, on one hand, a gothic, otherworldly feel to it while at the same time possessing a very "now" vibe.

The Cullens, a family of vampires that definitely belong on the pages of GQ or Elle magazine are, for the most part, more captivating and alluring than terrifying and loathsome . Bella's love is Edward Cullen, a chivalrous and loving Adonis who would make any girl long for a "vampire hickey" but who refuses to "turn" Bella because of his great love for her.

Accepting the fact that Twilight is fantasy (not much different than the Nancy Drew series of my youth ...... how many teen-ager girls do you know who are repeatedly called upon to provide the solution to a case that has the local police stymied), I tried not to be too analytical. I put aside the fact that although Edward appeared to be a 17 year old high school student, he had in reality been around since his "death" about 90 years earlier and would be old enough to be Bella's great grandfather. Who needs reality....I get enough of that in my daily life.

Suffice to say, this book has enough romance to satisfy the female readers of this saga (both young and old), enough action to keep young male readers enthralled and enough restraint being exercised by the devoted couple to win the approval of any parent.

No real spoilers in this review, only the hearty recommendation of a chagrined and once sceptical reader who is now a Stephanie Meyer convert. Bring on New Moon!

I couldn't even finish this book I found it so predictable and boring. There were no new ideas (beautiful tortured lonely "monster" falls in love with pretty, misunderstood girl) and no action to speak of. I really can't understand why this series is so popular!

I bought this book after believing all the acclaim surrounding it (ie., best book of the decade, as clever and captivating as the Harry Potter series, etc.). Unfortunately, I learned it's a lot of hype. Not only did I think it was mediocre writing, I was bored and at times annoyed by it. Bottom line, it was a disappointment on different levels.

For about the first third of the book, I tried to read it with an open mind, hoping to identify with/like the protagonist, Bella. However, I ended up finding her to be unlikable and irritating. At first she seems to be mature, intelligent, and determined to be her own person and march to her own beat. Ultimately, she's a martyr, a helpless damsel in distress, a doormat with no goals or motivation other than to be with Edward, because only he can save her and give her any meaning to her life. These qualities, in my opinion, do not make her admirable or even likable.

I didn't relate to the love between Bella & Edward because their connection was solely based physical appearance and scent. In other words, their relationship is empty and shallow. Furthermore, their obsession with each other is senseless, destructive and dysfunctional.

Bella is two-faced, selfish, whiney, overly self-critical of herself, and a totally naive pushover. She deceives her friends, her family, herself, and goes way out of her way to risk her life for this guy because he's just so beautiful. In fact, *SPOILER ALERT* she ends up critically injured, nearly dead and all she can think of doing is apologizing to Edward and begging him to stay with her forever??? That's so pathetic! I really felt sorry for that poor girl and wished she would go for some seriously needed counseling to develop a backbone, a healthy sense of purpose, and stop being so self-sabotaging.

Bella's infatuation is based on Edward's shallow endearing qualities. He's a stunningly handsome immortal with supernatural strength and agility, who drives flashy cars, wears expensive clothes, and is rich. She's so swooned over by his perfection that she's not put off by his patronization, control, manipulation and domination of her. He repeatedly warns her that he's dangerous and could easily kill her. His explanation for his attraction to her is because of the way she smells! He stalks her, bosses her around, and treats her like a little girl. And all of this is OK with her. It smacks of a dysfunctional and abusive relationship. Again, pathetic.

I seriously hope that the average teenage girl is more intelligent and has more scruples than to be won over by this junk. The 'helpless damsel in distress who has no purpose in life unless she has a man to love her and rescue her' just doesn't cut it in this day and age.

I bought this book after believing all the acclaim surrounding it (ie., best book of the decade, as clever and captivating as the Harry Potter series, etc.). Unfortunately, I learned it's a lot of hype. Not only did I think it was mediocre writing, I was bored and at times annoyed by it. Bottom line, it was a disappointment on different levels.

For about the first third of the book, I tried to read it with an open mind, hoping to identify with/like the protagonist, Bella. However, I ended up finding her to be unlikable and irritating. At first she seems to be mature, intelligent, and determined to be her own person and march to her own beat. Ultimately, she's a martyr, a helpless damsel in distress, a doormat with no goals or motivation other than to be with Edward, because only he can save her and give her any meaning to her life. These qualities, in my opinion, do not make her admirable or even likable.

I didn't relate to the love between Bella & Edward because their connection was solely based physical appearance and scent. In other words, their relationship is empty and shallow. Furthermore, their obsession with each other is senseless, destructive and dysfunctional.

Bella is two-faced, selfish, whiney, overly self-critical of herself, and a totally naive pushover. She deceives her friends, her family, herself, and goes way out of her way to risk her life for this guy because he's just so beautiful. In fact, she ends up critically injured, nearly dead and all she can think of doing is apologizing to Edward and begging him to stay with her forever??? That's so pathetic! I really felt sorry for that poor girl and wished she would go for some seriously needed counseling to develop a backbone, a healthy sense of purpose, and stop being so self-sabotaging.

Bella's infatuation is based on Edward's shallow endearing qualities. He's a stunningly handsome immortal with supernatural strength and agility, who drives flashy cars, wears expensive clothes, and is rich. She's so swooned over by his perfection that she's not put off by his patronization, control, manipulation and domination of her. He repeatedly warns her that he's dangerous and could easily kill her. His explanation for his attraction to her is because of the way she smells! He stalks her, bosses her around, and treats her like a little girl. And all of this is OK with her. It smacks of a dysfunctional and abusive relationship. Again, pathetic.

I seriously hope that the average teenage girl is more intelligent and has more scruples than to be won over by this junk. The 'helpless damsel in distress who has no purpose in life unless she has a man to love her and rescue her' just doesn't cut it in this day and age.

The book is so additive that I never can put it down because I always want to know what will happen next. She know how to build a story that you will care about the character

The book has a lot of good qualities, the only thing I dont like is 50% of the book goes like this:
"He spoke and I forgot how to inhale..."
next page:
"He spoke again and I forgot how to exhale..."

I was afraid Bella might suffocate before the end of the book!

First off, I will admit that I did not even finish this book. After hearing it praised for months and touted as the new Harry Potter for its popularity I finally caved in and decided to see what all the hype was about. I got a little more than halfway through before giving up.

Now, I am an avid reader of the fantasy and paranormal genres, and so part of the problem was just going into this book as someone who had read scores of similar novels both in and beyond the Young Adult section. This novel may be somewhat compelling and interesting if you, like Bella, are a teenager who is in some way dissatisfied with your life or current circumstances--perhaps many readers can relate to her on this basis. I however am not any of those things, so the tedious ins and outs of Bella's everyday life and the endless repetition of her school day did nothing to hook me and pull me in, nor did the author do anything to try and make the book a compelling must-read. For me a good book is one I cannot put down. With Twilight I had to struggle just to pick it back up again and slog through in the hopes of seeing things pick up. Even if the plot does eventually become more exciting, the fact that I couldn't make myself finish the book to get that far speaks to its quality. For a vampire novel, the plot is extremely mundane and Meyer fails to create compelling, interesting characters or narratives. The characters are young and beautiful, but their personalities have not been fleshed out and as many other readers have pointed out, Bella Swann has a few too many qualities of a Mary Sue for my liking. For those who are unfamiliar with the term, a Mary Sue is a character who is sometimes created as an avatar or self-insertion of the author, or just as a perfect character, usually stunningly beautiful, with no bad traits and sometimes with exceptional ones, who all other characters immediately love. The term was originally applied to fan fiction characters but is now used with published works as well. Bella is not an extreme example of one, but she comes close--the unique name, the way every boy takes an immediate liking to her, including a normally cold and distant vampire, and her lack of any real flaws. Her budding relationship with Edward goes from 0 to 60 with no discernible reason as to why--one moment they are getting to know one another, the next declaring themselves in love. It may be romantic, but it is not interesting or realistic.

If I were still in high school and had not read many other books of this genre, I might have liked Twilight. But as it stands now, Twilight comes across as rather amateurish and unfulfilling. Trust me, there are hundreds of similar books that are much better written.

Ok ill say it again....why?! As in...why is this book so popular? I sit here unable to comprehend what makes this book so special. I started reading it earlier today, unable to resist the hype any longer, but I am struggling to finish it. I am only on page 170, out of 498, and each turn of the page is painful. I find myself nearly ripping the hair out of my head, as I wait....and wait...and wait some more for something of interest to actually take place.

Ill admit, I've never had a huge interest in vampires. My sister is the vampire buff in the family, and naturally she is a HUGE fan of these books, which is one reason I decided to read (or attempt to read) this book. I also found that I enjoyed "blue bloods" and "masquerade" by Melissa De La Cruz and "the house of night" novels by P.C. Cast (two series having to do with vampires that I highly recommend over this one) so I decided to finally see what this one was all about.

I'm sorry, but the book is boring. I keep reading, hoping that something of excitment will actually happen, but after 170 pages, it still hasn't happened yet. I actually found myself skipping over paragraphs, even entire pages, because I couldn't take it anymore.

The main character, Bella Swan, ( written from first person point of view) is pathetic and irritating. (And I think its quite typical that the love interest of a vampire would have a name like Bella) Why must she tell us about every single day of her utterly boring life? Some of the details don't even have any relevance to the story!

"I went to school today...edward stared at me...I couldn't help but stare back....his eyes are just so mesmerizing...after school I went home and cooked dinner"

"Edward wasn't at school today...I was devastated...I couldn't get my mind off of him....I went home and cooked dinner for my dad again"

This is the basic gist of Bellas life. But worst yet, are the "horrible" things that keep happening to her, which, atleast in my opinion, is just her way of getting edwards attention. First she nearly gets run over by a car in the school parking lot, and edward saves her. Granted, that's not her fault, so the first time is forgiveable. But then she passes out in school due to the sight of blood and surprise surprise, Edward carries her to the nurse, and THEN, as stupid as she is, she wanders into a dangerous part of town by herself, and....surprise surprise...Edward rescues her!

That's about as far as I got, and I really don't care to go any further. Ill admit that Edward is an intriguing and likeable character, and the parts that involved him were the only parts I actually semi enjoyed reading, but still not enough to keep me wanting more.

If you want an actual good vampire series, then I recommend that you read The House of Night Novels (marked, betrayed, chosen...etc) by P.C. And Kristin Cast, or "Blue Bloods" and "Masquerade" by Melissa De La Cruz. And I highly recommend (although it doesn't involve vampires, but it does involve magic and mystical creatures) The Gemma Doyle trilogy (A Great and Terrible Beauty, Rebel Angels, and The Sweet Far Thing) by Libba Bray. None of those novels are flawless, nor are the characters, but they are a great deal more interesting and likeable than "twilight"

Sorry, Stephenie Meyer, but you did not make a fan out of me.

I did like this book. For some reason, when I read it, it drew me in. It was sort of enthralling while reading it, but after having read it, it's really easy to make fun of. There was one sequence that I noticed throughout the book that got on my nerves a bit:
"Oh Edward"
"Bella. You shouldn't be around me. I'm too dangerous."
"I don't care!"
"I don't either... Wait, what am I saying? I'll hurt you!"
"Bite me!"
"No."
"Yes"
"No"
"Yes"
"No"
Etc...
Besides that, I thought it was a very entertaining read. I would give this book 3-4 stars.

This could be a bit long. I enjoy a wide range of literature, and stories about the mythical are among my favorite, especially vampires. So when I heard this was "the next Harry Potter" about a family of vampires that have a conscience and don't eat humans, and how one falls for a girl, I thought it sounded like a fun read. I wasn't expecting great writing, or even amazing new ideas, just a good diversion as I went on a road trip with my family.

I was disappointed to some extent however. There were a few original ideas (I wasn't even too put off by the glittering vampire, though that was cheesy) and I did appreciate the Cullen family baseball game.

The thing I can't get over though is the poor writing style. K we get it. Edward is perfect and beautiful and angelic yet fierce...etc. There is no need to go on and on about it. A description when we meet him, and perhaps an expanded reiteration of said description at the sunlit field would have sufficed. I do understand that we are hearing a besotted teenage girl's thoughts, but it was annoying.

In fact, most of Bella's thoughts were annoying! I kept waiting to hear (and granted, I am not quite done with the book) some logical thought about how loving a vampire was going to work out for her when she was oh say 70, but no. They mostly consisted of how perfect Edward was, how much she wanted to be around him all the time, how much she hated the rain, how perfect Edward was...you get the idea.

And Edward really wasn't all that perfect. I can understand that the mysterious and beautiful and dangerous but good are alluring, and I think we are made to desire this on some level, but even Edward admitted to being angry much of the time. That really wouldn't be ok with me. He is a bit domineering too (don't get me wrong, I do like a man who is a good leader and can take charge of a situation, but he seemed overly forceful often).

And lastly, the romance. The only word that comes to my head is cheesy(and I'm sorry I use it so much). How she needs to be rescued so often, how he is constantly telling her to safe, how she looks into his golden eyes and is "dazzled," how they run their fingers over each other's skin...it gets old. But I know that I am not a very romantic person anyways, so I am not surprised that I found that part cheesy. I guess I was just hoping for a little better mix of adventure with the romance to keep the story moving. And even when it does pick up at the end the adventure is on so-so. Oh well.

At least from almost finishing the first book, I can tell you that this is nowhere near as good as Harry Potter (a series I enjoyed, though I felt it was repetitive too). But if you are looking for a good diversion, and can get past poor writing and lots of cheesy dialogue, then by all means read it. There is just lots of better things you could be reading.

This book has descriptions and dialogue very realistically written. One of those books where you would tell yourself continuously... one more chapter... then I'll go to sleep. I literally stayed up until 5 am to finish this book.

In my opinion, this was better than Harry Potter all together.

This book, as did the others in the saga kept me spellbound the entire time. Even juggling work and sleep I managed to read at least 300 pages a day. Twilight, though a decently large book, sped by quickly. Now I await the release of the fourth and final book in this series by Stephanie Meyer. She is a brilliant author, and I can't wait to read anything else she churns out!

I absolutely LOVE this book series! I take forever to read books, but I read this one in just two weeks! I have watched a certain soap opera for the last 15 years or so, and I've quit watching because I'd rather read this book series! I highly recommend it to anyone who loves romance and suspense!

Truth be told, Twilight seemed like my cup of tea. A world where a girl falls in love with a vampire and the casualties that come along with that always has intrigued me (Yes, I speak of Buffy). I was skeptical at first because I always saw Twilight in the Young Adult section, and thought that perhaps I'd outgrown that section. After hearing mostly positive opinions from friends and online reviewers, I gave in.

Initially what grabbed me was Stephenie Meyer's writing. It flows with a simplicity that makes - for me - a quick and understanding read. The character of Bella was thoroughly introduced within the first two chapters. I was excited to actually like our subtle heroine. That's another thing that Meyer did very well, and that was flesh out her characters that she wants us to care about. Edward's mystery bothered me just like it bothered Bella.

The single-handed mythology that Meyer created for the series was also a breath of fresh air. It's new. It's easy to understand without any complicated "What?"s going on.

What did begin to bother me was Bella's sudden infatuation for Edward. Are we to believe that his vampire abilities are to make her fall for him so hard? If so, is there really something about Bella that made him instantly be infatuated with her? There's a reason given in the book, and it was the ONLY too far-fetched aspect to grasp. Although this story is about the two of them, it does get a little repetitive near the end of the book. Although I will admit that their story caught me heartstrings at times. Meyer did an awesome job at giving Edward a life.

Twilight is a great set-up for what I hope will be a fulfilling series that doesn't fall flat.

Twilight really is a great book. I enjoyed reading the whole series and I CANNOT wait for breaking dawn.
This is a very minimal detail but it really started to bother me throughout the books- I don't like how so many of the words are italicized to add emphasis.
Over all this is an amazing light read.

I'm not usually big on vampire stories, but picked up the book because my mother grew up in Forks. I was very pleasantly surprised. If you let yourself get lost in the story and try not to analyze it you can almost feel the electricity between the characters. There are just enough words to paint a picture, but not to many that your mind isn't allowed to run completely wild. Having grown up moving around a lot it was nice for once to see a new person come in welcomed unlike how most books and movies protray the new person as this terrible outcast. I'm glad for once someone realizes that not all 17 year olds are alike and that some are actually more mature for their age and can tend to act too grown up for their age. I'm completly clumsy and tend to fall down stairs alot so it was nice to finally have a heroine I could relate to. You can't compare it to anything else or you'll just face dissapointment as many apparantly have. Put yourself in Bella's shoes and just follow the story down the wonderful road it takes you. I immediately went out and bought the other two and I'm patiently waiting for the fourth.

Other reviews with 1 to 3 stars have accurately addressed the writing flaws and character issues, I just feel strongly about the misclassification of my favorite monsters.
SPOILER ALERT:

First, Edward isn't a vampire. Jacob isn't a werewolf. Although to her credit, Ms. Meyers has a backstory for Jacob's condition. However, she conveniently uses terms with known definitions to bring in the established audience and then gives it monsters who are NOT vampires or werewolves.

Edward is vamplite or maybe an evil fairy/sprite. He is a creepy pedophile who latches on to the sweet smelling and vapid Bella. The reason so many people identify with the story is that youth angst and infatuation is something we all experienced. We just grew beyond it.

Hooking in an audience by trading on a tradition that you fail to even acknowledge or dismiss outright is a tradition itself. I resent, however, that Ms. Meyers takes home her royalty checks with a clear conscious and no respect for proper monster lore. Come up with a name for your monster, leave my vampires and werewolves alone.

The series of which this book is a part reads as a twisted soap opera. The heroine likes cuddling up to a stone hard, un-dead, icy-skinned, but somehow attractive guy that no one, including her father and the population of the town where they live, seems to notice is just a bit unusual. The story probably appeals to pre-teen/early teen girls who are intrigued by the bad boys in their crowd. The author passes on the opportunity to address the several analogous social issues that could give interesting depth to the novel, for instance: to accept (or not) the outcasts among us, moral justification for morally unacceptable acts, or the attraction to danger suffered by many of our young people. This book does not share insight, nor is it of a quality to warrant purchasing it.

There's been a lot of talk about Twilight - that it's amazing, it's the next Harry Potter, don't die before you read this book, and so on. My sister recommended it to me and I borrowed her copy to read.

I wasn't expecting The Next Harry Potter (too soon), but I was expecting at least a little more depth from Meyer, given the overwhelmingly positive reviews. I really love young adult lit, but Twilight was disappointing in almost every way imaginable; it fails at characterization, romance, plot, originality, and realism.

I'll try to keep it short; here's a list of my main issues with the novel.

1. Edward glitters in the sunlight.

2. Edward GLITTERS IN THE SUNLIGHT.

3. In keeping with nos. 1 and 2, the descriptions, especially of characters' physical descriptions, were trite to the extreme. Edward glitters. He looks like an angel or, alternatively, a god. He's really, really pretty. His eyes glow and are deeply expressive. He's shiny. Okay, we get it, thank you. Let's explore personality and interests now. Wait, personalities? Individual interests? Never!

4. The adverbs. Dear sweet Jesus, the adverbs. A well-placed adverb is a good thing, but one in almost every sentence bespeaks laziness and lack of attention to detail/description. I know it's cliché to say so, but it's all tell and no show. That's not all Meyer's fault; I blame bad editors as well. Also, Edward needs to stop "growling" things. What does that even sound like, anyway?

5. Bella is a depressingly weak pushover. She lets Edward boss her around and control their relationship. I understand that this happens sometimes in relationships, but here it's never questioned, never addressed with a critical eye - Edward's actions are always justifiable, or at least forgivable, because he loves her SO MUCH. Which bring us to the next point ...

6. The romance was unbelievable and cardboard-thin at best (and manipulative and monstrous at worst). After two weeks, Edward and Bella are madly, "irrevocably" in love with each other, to the point where they're willing to die for each other and run away from their families to spend the rest of their lives together. Uh-huh. It frustrated me to no end how shallow their relationship was, based almost purely on physical attraction and little else (such as actual compatibility; although I guess you could call Edward's domination and Bella's acquiescence "compatible"). Real-life romances are almost never like the movies. The kissing scenes had me rolling my eyes. Cliché to the extreme.

A friend pointed out to me that teenagers sometimes really are melodramatic and think in those terms ("I will die if I don't have him/her"; "s/he is an angel from heaven"; etc). She is absolutely right. However, a mature author will (gently, and hopefully with a sense of humor) point the reader toward the characters' mistakes and misconceptions, their consequences, and hopefully their developing maturity. That did not happen in Twilight; Edward's and Bella's actions are always forgiven or even justified because of their everlasting love for each other. Twilight is wish-fulfillment for the emotionally immature. In real life, hasty and thoughtless actions have consequences.

7. Edward. What can I say about Edward? I get the feeling you're supposed to like him. (And judging by the numerous fangirls who prowl the reviews' comments and sometimes say nasty things to negative commentators, many do.) I've heard that Meyer said he's her idea of the perfect man. (??) But he's not likeable - or even relatable. He spends the entire book making absurd cryptic remarks to Bella ("I'm dangerous ... you should stay away from me") and being broody, angst-ridden, and generally emo. How annoying is that? Yet Bella (and fangirls) flock to him like he's God's gift to teenage girls.

Again, of course there are guys like that. But Edward's actions and attitudes are approved and validated throughout the novel. A better treatment of Angsty Teen Boy, for example, would be Cassandra Clare's Jace Wayland. He's just as cliché as Edward in many ways, with many of the same issues, but the author and the characters have a more realistic and critical attitude toward him that takes his flaws into account, and the story recognizes his selfishness.

Note to Edward and his fans: Stalking is creepy. Not romantic. When I think of that bedroom window scene ... Ew ew ew.

On a (slightly) more positive note, I did appreciate some of the more original ideas that Meyer attempted to incorporate, such as the nontraditional "vampire myths aren't true" thing (although in the book, it did sound a little like Meyer was saying, "See! Look at me! I'm nontraditional!"), and the idea of especially appealing scent/flavors. But they got lost in bad execution.

The book does have its own special "mindless entertainment" value, but I don't know whether that's a good thing or a bad thing.

Sorry, I was wrong. This wasn't short at all. I guess I got carried away by the intensity of my feelings. I'm really disappointed that so many people seem to love this book, while better authors are making less money.

I have heard that the second and third books are better (alternatively, I have also heard that they're worse), so I've ordered it and am going to give Meyer another chance. Twilight was her first book, and I'm happy to support an author as they're growing and maturing. But my expectations aren't high.

There are better YA writers out there for you to crack your teeth on, fantasy or not: Scott Westerfeld, John Green, Phillip Pullman, Garth Nix (the Abhorsen books), Cassandra Clare. None of them are perfect, or even THAT good, but pick up one of their novels if you prefer your characters multifaceted and your emotions/situations/plots/language ten times more complex and nuanced than Twilight.

This book took my breath away! I usually can't stand to read a book more than once but I felt so bad that this one was over I immediately picked it back up and started it again.

The 1st book I got was messed up. I returned it and got a new one. It was great...I love this book!!! Got new book (and original one) in mail very fast...great service!

I couldn't put it down but was a little disappointed that it was so PG! I hurried to read book 2 and was annoyed that Bella still doesn't get to be a vampire! Maybe finally in book 4. Who knows.

OME! BUY IT! ITS OTHERWORLDLY! IT'S THE BEST BOOK IN THE ENTIRE WORLD! BUY IT! YOU'LL LOVE IT! DO IT NOW!

This is the first book in a long time that I just couldn't put down. I loved the dark characters, the star-crossed love story, and the suspense. I can't wait to read book 2, 3, and 4.

Best regards,

Kristin Omdahl
[...]

This is the first book, after Harry Potter, which i simply couldn't put down! After reading the first book i immediately ordered the others! It is new, original and captivating! Not to be missed...buy this book!

I am a little older than the target audience for "Twilight," but I work in a bookstore and given how popular this series is, I wanted to try reading it. I understand that fans feel very strongly about these books, and they obviously appeal to some people. However, I really didn't like this book.

The main problem for me was the character development and the writing. The story is about a high school girl, Bella, who falls in love with a boy, Edward, who turns out to be a vampire. I didn't think Bella was the strongest female heroine, but there's nothing wrong with having an average teenage girl as your protagonist. My problem was more that she and Edward were very two-dimensional characters, and not exactly likable. It's hard for me to get into a love story where I don't care about either of the characters and I can't figure out why they're so in love with each other in the first place. Also, the plot dragged a little in some places, especially in the middle, and I felt like the writing could have been stronger.

Finally, I know there's been some debate over whether the quality of this book matters when it's getting kids to read. Even though I don't like this book, I still think it's good if it gets people to read. I don't think Bella's the best role model for teenage girls, but I also think most teenage girls can think for themselves and enjoy this book without wanting to become Bella themselves. I just think there are a lot of books that are a lot better than this, and I wish those books could find the same kind of success as this series.

Ok, so I was really hesitant to read this book in the beginning. I knew people on both ends of the spectrum, those who loved and obsessed over it and those who HATED! it. I heard so much about it from them that I just started asking question to those who really liked it. I didn't keep a very open mind. I asked about the vampires: the teeth, the sun,etc. THEY DIDN'T HAVE FANGS! I know it's silly but immediately I was turned off.I mean come on, a VAMPIRE story without FANGS!? That freakin' classic! It wasn't till I came home from college and talked to my BEST friend and she told me how amazing it was that I tentatively decided to give it a shot.
OMG! I nearly crapped my pants it was so good!(not really but it was AMAZING, though not incontinentce producingly so.)
Anyway, it's about a chick who has always sort of been an outsider, then she moves in with her dad in this small town and becomes the center of attention. Everyone wants to be her friend, which for her is definitely new territory. Then she sees him. An outsider just like her. He is beautiful, but it is more than that which catches her attention. He doesn't stare at her like everyone else in the school does. When he finally does look at her, his gaze is full of wonder, curiosity and frustration. And, this is what sparks the attraction of Bella Swan to Edward Cullen. He presents a mystery, an enigma. She wants to unravel his bizzare reactions. She isn't so shallow as some people like to say. She was NOT motivated solely on how pretty he happened to be. But I it never hurts to add a pretty face to a story.
And (SPOILER ALERT) he is a vampire, and yes when they fall in love, she wants to be one too. I think it is only natural, to want to spend the rest of eternity with the one you love, and, lucky her, she is handed this very chance. Maybe it is irresponsible and risky like that to want to become something so dangerous, but read on and you find that she does grapple with that too. She really does think about EVERY consequence.
I loved this book because when I read it, it makes me feel like I am Bella Swan, and all of this incredible story is real and I am a part of it. It pulled me in.
I understand some people don't like Twilight. I see their point, and I really do understand their reasoning. The writing isn't the best in the history of literature, there are some grammatical errors, as well. But this is the best book I have ever read because it has a wonderful story, and an interesting and creative way to reinvent the played out vampire lore that everyone knows(sparkling sounds kinda dumb, I know, but I bet it would be friggin' awesome to see if it were real).
So...I really do think EVERYONE SHOULD READ this book.

I've had this book in my house for over a year. My friend wanted me to read it, and I read the first few pages and got distracted by something else - I don't even remember. Flash forward over a year, and a friend of mine at work gushed about how wonderful this book is.

OK, fine, I'll read the darn thing. That'll show them!

I could not believe how good it was! I finished it in less than a day and have since started on New Moon. Sure, there was a fair amount of melodrama, and the main characters kept passionately getting annoyed with each other. But for some reason, it struck a chord. It was well written and kept making me press on, wanting to know what would happen next. And I thought that the emotions the main character, who is 17, felt were portrayed perfectly. Isn't passion that much more intense when it's the first time?

I'm looking forward to reading the rest of this series.

I absolutley LOVED this book! I am ordering "New Moon" off of here right now! While reading TWILIGHT, I sort of was wishing that I was Bella because Edward was so, so, how do you explain what he was? He was AMAZING! I read the book in a matter of 2 days, and it was hard when I had to put it down. I wish that there were more than 4 books to the TWILIGHT saga so I could keep reading for a long time!
Try not to listen to the bad reveiws too much because I've noticed that most of the bad reveiws are from adults not teenagers. Umm, FYI, the book was aimed for young adults... AKA TEENAGERS! I encourage you to buy this book even if it got bad recognition from some people. :-D
-L
P.S. I am DEFINATLY going to see the TWILIGHT movie even if from looking at the trailers that the movie might be a little different from the book.

This is one of the only books I have read in a long time that has made me want to read 1,000,000 more times. The Harry Potter series has a long way to go compared to this book. Twilight is a very interesting story about a quiet girl named Bella who has just moved into a new town called Forks. It is how she falls in love with a vampire named Edward and all the problems they face with loving each other. This is a romantic book but it also has a lot of action close to the end of the story. Stephenie Meyer has done a great job with crafting this fantastical book.


WARNING TO ALL SOON TO BE READERS OF THE TWILIGHT SAGA ANY BOOK YOU READ AFTER THIS SERIES (SO FAR...) WILL BE VERY BORING AND YOU WILL PROBABLY NEVER WANT TO READ ANOTHER BOOK AGAIN!

I absolutely loved this book. It is about a girl who moves to her dad's house in a town called Forks where the sun rarely shines. She goes through the first day and meets some new friends but is intrigued by this one boy in her biology class. He seems to have a strong disliking to her right away and Bella cant figure out why. The story is a page turner right from the beginning. Bella learns more and more things about Edward throughout the book. There are many twists and turns that keep the reader wanting more. (this is why i cannot explain much more than the beginning of the story without giving it away) I am not a fan of these types of books at all, i mean the whole vampire and mystical type of book isnt really my style. Despite this, I LOVED it! It is a very good romance novel as well and by the end you will fall in love with the characters (mainly one) and will be craving for more. This book is almost 500 pages and i finished it in 3 days because i couldnt put it down. The ending definitely leaves you hanging so having the next book as well is probably a good idea.

I belong to a book-reading challenge community online, and it seemed like every day scores of people were reviewing all of Stephenie Meyers' books and raving about them. Several people in my circle of friends were obsessed with her work as well, so I thought I'd give it a shot, because I was a fan of vampires. After all its praise and the subject matter, I was really hoping to love this story, but sadly, I was extremely disappointed, and not just because of all the typos and all the grammar issues, but it was just, I thought, laughably bad. I mostly kept reading to see how ridiculous it got.

The story is billed for juveniles, but that does not usually prevent me from reading things. I love children's lit. I've read things written by 12-year-olds paying more attention to the craft of telling a story. It seemed to be one plot device after another, and so many things in the book felt like 'oh yeah, I need to explain this,' and if Bella fainted or swooned again, or if Bella went on and on about how beautiful he was one more time, or if one more boy was going to attempt to woo her, then I was going to throw something. I didn't get why everyone thought the girl was so special! She was so two-dimensional and it became painfully obvious that she was just a self-insert.

The dialogue was innane. Especially the Bella-Edward banter, which was annoying. The plot was comprised of one device after another. The characters weren't even interesting and Bella was the most annoying one of all. I couldn't for the life of me understand why she was so drawn to Edward, other than the fact that he was beautiful, and I'm sorry, but that doesn't redeem her in any way shape or form in my book. In my opinion, it really is just a trashy romance novel, without the smut.

But that said, I couldn't put it down. I can't explain it, but despite the fact that this book is sooo far beneath my usual standards, I got drawn in, too and I am DYING to know what happens next to these characters. It is a mystery, but despite all the reasons I just stated above, I am hooked.

Was not sure what to expect. Not very much aware of hype or success.

After reading one word comes to mind: Fantastic.

Thank's.

While this book did keep me up nearly all night reading, it had several flaws, the biggest being that its protagonist, Bella Swan, had NO FLAWS WHATSOEVER. It made her incredibly boring to read, and boring protagonists are NOT GOOD. And even though Edward was a vampire it would have been nice to see at least one tiny little flaw in him too. The villains were introduced too near the end and far too suddenly, there was hardly any back story on the Cullens (which is what I wanted to read most of all), and the dialogue was cheesy at best ("Holy crow"? Really, Ms. Meyer?). Also, I hate to do any Harry Potter comparisons, but I didn't feel as involved and immersed in Meyer's created world as I was with Rowling's. In fact, I didn't ever feel involved or immersed at all, which is kind of sad considering the book is written in first-person narrative, the easiest and most basic way for a writer to do so! It was an incredibly interesting and inventive idea, but I think it could have been executed much better than it was. I don't think this book will be remembered even a couple decades down the road. Still, the girly cheesy romantic side of me will probably have me forking over more of my money to Ms. Meyer for the next books in the series. I just hope she earns it with her future books!

This is a great novel and I love the story line. Stephenie Meyer is a great up and coming author. It was a fast paced novel that I could not put down, reading until the wee hours of the night. Though it might seem like a long novel, you become so engrossed into the story you cannot stop reading. Fantastic!!!!

I admit, I was caught up in the big Twilight craze for awhile. Who wasn't at one time, though? But as I grew in age, and thru many more read thru's of the books, I slowly began to realize how horrid these books are. But before I begin my personal rants, I believe it is a reviewers obligation to inform about the product.

Isabella Swan has just moved to the tiny town of Forks, Washington. Having lived with her mother for many years, Bella decides to take a break and live with her estranged father for a bit. Immediately she is hit with the harsh realization that Forks happens to be quite different from her beloved home in Phoenix. Here it is wet, cold, and certainly dreary. With a moody disposition already on her first day of arrival; Bella isn't very happy on her first day of school. However, she suddenly catches the eye of the school's mysterious, brooding heartthrob. With this, we as readers get delved into a world of Vampires, Kidnapping, and dangerous escapes from bathrooms.

Sounds good right? The premise is certainly one to make you want to read more. Vampires are cool, and who can't resist a book with a handsome male? But...somewhere along the road something just doesn't work. Let me first begin with the main heroine, or 'Heroin' as I should say.

Isabella Swan is the perfect example of a Mary Sue. The first time she sees our heartthrob Vampire Hero Edward Cullen, there's a immediate attraction. Thru the course of the book, Bella's relationship with Edward escalates to a full on 'addiction.' It seems the heroine cannot live one solitary moment without him, or thinking about being with him. This gets quite annoying by the Hundredth page, and one might feel tempted to roll their eyes at this point. Apart from her 'addiction,' Bella is a pretty boring heroine indeed. She has no common goals, dreams; or hobbies to even speak of. In this day and age, women need to set goals to make it in this world. But Bella I'm afraid has none; apart from re-reading 'Wuthering Heights' over and over again. Bella's an exasperating character, especially sense I've read other books with much better heroine's. Take for instance, Jane Eyre, Elizabeth Bennet, Emma Woodhouse, or the Dashwood sisters; all empowering heroine's who all face adversity with...what else..? Men. But here we have a heroine who does nothing but drool over her man. Even Hermoine Granger from Harry Potter has backbone; sharing her smarts and not being afraid to do anything.

Secondly, let's talk about Edward Cullen, our Vampire Hero. Edward himself is a male equivalent of the Mary Sue type. He's perfect, a god, and can do no wrong. Edward needs only to whisper a few words of love into our Heroine's ear; and she's swooning. Now, I'm a romantic girl, and typically a guy who speaks romantic things would make any girl swoon. But the phrases Edward utters are so overly gushy, one might gag upon contact. Who can forget the timeless line;

"Before you, my life was like a moonless night. Very dark, but there were stars. Points of light and reason. And then you shot across my sky like a meteor. Suddenly everything was on fire. There was brilliancy, there was beauty. When you were gone, when the meteor had fallen over the horizon, everything went black. Nothing had changed, but my eyes were blinded by the light. I couldn't see stars anymore, and there was no more reason for anything. "

Shall I say more? Ms. Meyer's characters are one-dimensional, and one cannot seem to ever fully care for these people. If a person doesn't care for the characters, and the current situation, one should just put the book away. If you don't 'care' for something, you needn't continue it.

Now I must admit, Ms. Meyer can write good when she wants too. Carlisle Cullen, Edward's 'father' of sorts is a truly intriguing character. He often sets everyone in the right direction, and is the source of all plans of action. Alice Cullen is a quirky character that you'll fall in love with. She's full of spunk, and truly a work of art on Ms. Meyer's part. If only the books were based on her.

All in all, Twilight is a mixed bag. The storyline could have been so much better, so improved; but instead we're stuck with the censored, edited, and teen age bodice ripper.

I suggest you read some real romantic books with great, smart, Heroine's. Try Jane Eyre, Sense and Sensiblity, Wuthering Heights, or even Pride and Prejudice. Once you enter these worlds, you'll never want to leave.

FYI, Twilight, and Ms. Meyer cannot touch J.K. Rowling. I really do wish everyone would stop saying Ms. Meyer is the new Rowling! I now fully expect the fangirls to come at me with pitchforks.

I bought the book just to see what it was all about. If it was good I was going to pass it along to my 13 year old granddaughter, who I really want to become an avid reader. I loved it and gave it to Mat. Guess What? She loves it too and is now a "reader." I'm sorry to see so many negative reviews because I loved the book. I'm looking forward to the movie.

I really really enjoyed this book. Good Plot. Strong characters. Sometimes it could actually be quite funny. I really got into it and couldn't put it down. I think I read the book in two days.

This is the best book ( and series) I've read in my life !. It is very well written and so romantic! I told every one I know ( all in their 40's) about this book and they call me 4 days later to thank me and say that they are on the third one!! Well done Stephanie Meyer. While I am waiting for "Breaking Dawn" I have read them a second time!! I have never done that with any book or movie. They are even better the second time!! Yes I have also read "the Host" that was good too.. but at the time I was fresh off of "Eclipse" and it was hard to let go of Edward and Bella.
Keep on writing Stephanie I will keep on reading!!